Download or read book Superfund and Brownfields in the 107th Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On January 11, 2002, the President signed H.R. 2869 (P.L. 107-118), which formally established EPAâ€TMs brownfields program, and provided relief from Superfund liability for small businesses. The Act creates a $200 million per year brownfield cleanup program (including $50 million for cleanup of petroleum-contaminated sites); provides $50 million for state programs; and relieves liability for contiguous property owners, prospective purchasers, and innocent landowners. It also provides liability relief for small businesses and others who disposed of small amounts of hazardous waste, and allows businesses to make a financial settlement for a lesser amount in cases of financial hardship. The Senate passed S. 606 on November 20, 2002 to establish an Ombudsman. The House passed H.R. 2941 under suspension on June 4, 2002, a bill to make HUD brownfield grants more accessible, especially to smaller communities. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported S. 1079 on April 25, providing funds for the Economic Development Administrationâ€TMs brownfield program. The Superfund Actâ€TMs formal name is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or CERCLA (P.L. 96-510, as amended). It is the principal federal program for cleaning up hazardous waste sites. As of December 2002, 809 nonfederal sites (61%) placed on the Superfundâ€TMs National Priorities List (NPL) had been removed to the Construction Completed List. Program critics say it is slow, ineffective, and expensive. Program supporters acknowledge that the statute needs to be updated, but argue that Superfund cleanups have prevented widespread health and environmental exposures and have created strong incentives for more careful hazardous waste management. Future funding of the program is a basic issue, as the taxing authority that supported the Superfund trust fund ended in 1995. Congress has appropriated larger amounts from the Treasury since FY1999 as the trust fund balance has declined. The FY2002 appropriation for the Superfund program is $1.27 billion, (P.L. 106-377). CERCLAâ€TMs broad liability scheme has been one of the most difficult issues. The average cost of cleaning up a site is about $20 million, a large enough amount to often make it worthwhile for parties to pursue legal means to spread the costs rather than to settle. So at large sites, where it is not unusual for there to be over a hundred potentially responsible parties, there can be a commensurate amount of expensive negotiation and litigation. Such situations can be especially burdensome for small businesses and other minor parties. The lawâ€TMs cleanup standards and remedy selection procedures are also controversial. Requirements for treatment, permanence, and the application of both federal and state regulations have led to what some critics characterize as overly strict risk assessment, and increased costs and delay at many sites. Environmental groups, on the other hand, strongly support cleanup remedies that minimize remaining on-site pollution rather than remedies that, while designed to limit human and environmental exposure, leave wastes on site. Business interests also want to cap the amount of natural resource damages that can be assessed against them. A number of states are seeking a full delegation to them of the authorities in CERCLA, including remedy selection, control over CERCLAâ€TMs monies, and the determination of what sites go on and off the NPL.

Download or read book Superfund and Brownfields in the 107th Congress written by Mark Reisch and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Superfund and Brownfields in the 107th Congress Updated November 9 2001 written by Mark E. Anthony Reisch and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Financial Services and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 10 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Brownfields Redevelopment Enhancement Act written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Financial Services and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Crs Report for Congress written by Martin R. Lee and published by . This book was released on 2013-11 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 107th Congress enacted brownfields, bioterrorism, and a sediment contamination statutes. In addition, it provided FY2002 funding to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other government agency environmental programs, and continued FY2002 funding into FY2003. Many other bills received committee or floor action. H.R. 4, the comprehensive e n e r g y bill, which has numerous environmental provisions; the EPA and Department of Defense appropriations bills for FY2003; bills authorizing HUD and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) brownfield programs; legislation authorizing EPA regulation of pesticide exports; bills to extend water infrastructure funding programs; and legislation to address chemical plant security. Table 1 provides a summary of environmental legislation on which there has been some action. Superfund/Brownfields. In the first session, Congress enacted P.L. 107-118, the Smal l Business Liability Relief and Brownfield Revitalization Act. On June 4, 2002, the House passed H.R. 2941 to enhance the Department of Housing and Urban Development's brownfields program. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported S. 1079 (S.Rept. 107-244) on August 28, 2002, to provide $60 million per year for the EDA's brownfield program. Energy Bill. House and Senate conferees did not complete action on a comprehensive energy package, H.R. 4, that ...

Download or read book Environmental Protection Issues in the 107th Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 107th Congress enacted brownfields, bioterrorism, and a sediment contamination statutes. In addition, it provided FY2002 funding to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other government agency environmental programs, and continued FY2002 funding into FY2003. Many other bills received committee or floor action. H.R. 4, the comprehensive energy bill, which has numerous environmental provisions; the EPA and Department of Defense appropriations bills for FY2003; bills authorizing HUD and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) brownfield programs; legislation authorizing EPA regulation of pesticide exports; bills to extend water infrastructure funding programs; and legislation to address chemical plant security. Table 1 provides a summary of environmental legislation on which there has been some action. Superfund/Brownfields. In the first session, Congress enacted P.L. 107-118, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfield Revitalization Act. On June 4, 2002, the House passed H.R. 2941 to enhance the Department of Housing and Urban Developmentâ€TMs brownfields program. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported S. 1079 (S.Rept. 107-244) on August 28, 2002, to provide $60 million per year for the EDAâ€TMs brownfield program. Energy Bill. House and Senate conferees did not complete action on a comprehensive energy package, H.R. 4, that includes a number of environmental provisions. Both versions address drinking water contamination from MTBE, a gasoline additive, and the Senate version would have banned future use of MTBE in gasoline. The Senate version would have also required the use of renewable fuels in electricity generation and motor fuels. The House version of H.R. 4 would have reauthorized EPAâ€TMs climate change programs, while the Senate version would have established a new Office of National Climate Change Policy and would have created a national greenhouse gas database. Security Issues. S. 1602, as reported, and its companion, H.R. 5300, would have required EPA to identify and regulate sources of potentially disastrous, accidental or criminal, chemical releases. Action also occurred on several water infrastructure security bills. The Bioterrorism Preparedness Act (P.L. 107- 188) authorized funding for drinking water vulnerability assessments and security upgrades. Appropriations. In the first session, Congress appropriated $7.9 billion for EPA, for FY2002, plus another $176 million in supplemental funding for anti-terrorism activities. On July 25, 2002, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $8.3 billion for EPA for FY2003 in reporting S. 2797 (S.Rept. 107-222). The Administration has requested $7.6 billion. In addition to funding for EPA, consideration of authorization and appropriations bills for defense-related environmental activities is also underway. A continuing resolution provided funding at the same level as enacted for FY2002, until a final appropriations bill was enacted for FY2003. (The108th Congress enacted P.L.108-7 (H.J.Res. 2), an omnibus appropriation bill which includes about $8.1 billion for EPA for FY2003.)

Download or read book Superfund Reform and Reauthorization written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Superfund and the Brownfields Issue written by Mark E. Anthony Reisch and published by Nova Biomedical Books. This book was released on 2003 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Superfund program is the principal federal effort for cleaning up hazardous waste sites and protecting public health and the environment from releases of hazardous substances. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) established the program, and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorisation Act of 1986 (SARA) amended it. This book includes data and other pertinent information about CERCLA and the Superfund program, followed by a glossary. EPA defines brownfields as abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. FY1997 was the first year brownfields became a separate budgetary line item, at USD37.7 million. For FY2000 the appropriation was USD91.7 million. In the FY2001 budget, the Administration requested and was appropriated USD91.6 million. The 106th Congress extended the brownfields cleanup tax incentive to December 31, 2003, and expanded it to make all brownfields certified by a state environmental agency eligible for tax break. Other brownfields bills introduced in the Congress appeared to confirm the genera

Download or read book Environmental Protection Issues in the 107th Congress written by Margaret M Isler and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report discuss issues that received congressional attention in the 107th Congress, such as The impact of air quality regulations, key water quality issues, superfund, solid/hazardous wastes, multibillion dollar cleanup and compliance programs, climate change, pesticides, EPA budget, and Science and Technology.

Download or read book SUPERFUND PROGRAM CLEANUPS AND FUNDING HEARING S HRG 107 996 COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT UNITED STATES SENATE 107TH CONGRESS 2 written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works and published by . This book was released on 2004* with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Superfund Program written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Control, and Risk Assessment and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Superfund Program written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Transportation and Hazardous Materials and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 1050 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Brownfield sic Revitalization and Environmental Restoration Act of 2001 written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works. Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Control, and Risk Assessment and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Nominations of the 107th Congress First Session written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Brownfields and Superfund Issues in the 108th Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Superfund and the Brownfields Issue written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Congress has before it numerous bills to expand the Environmental Protection Agencyâ€TMs (EPA) brownfields program to help communities restore less seriously contaminated sites that have the potential for economic development. EPA defines brownfields as abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. A combination of potential environmental, economic and social benefits gives this program broad support among governments, environmentalists, developers, and communities. The brownfields program was established administratively by EPA under the aegis of the Superfund program; without explicit authority for it in the law, it has been financed by the Superfund appropriation. The program has expanded to include 363 brownfields assessment grants (most for $200,000 over 2 years); 106 $350,000 revolving loan fund grants to help finance the actual cleanups; 47 job training grants; and 28 Brownfields Showcase Communities where technical and financial assistance from 20 participating federal agencies is being coordinated with state, local and nongovernmental efforts. FY1997 was the first year brownfields became a separate budgetary line item, at $37.7 million. For FY2000 the appropriation was $91.7 million. In the FY2001 budget, the Administration requested and was appropriated $91.6 million. The 106th Congress extended the brownfields cleanup tax incentive to December 31, 2003, and expanded it to make all brownfields certified by a state environmental agency eligible for the tax break. Other brownfield bills introduced in the 106th Congress appeared to confirm the general direction EPA has taken. Two Superfund reauthorization bills were reported in the House, each of which contained a title on brownfields. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported H.R. 1300 on September 30, 1999 (H.Rept. 106-353, Part I), and the Commerce Committee ordered H.R. 2580 reported on October 13, 1999 (H.Rept. 106-775, part I). Negotiations on S. 1090 in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee did not produce an acceptable bipartisan compromise and the committee agreed to end their deliberations on August 4, 1999. This report provides the history, background, and operations of the brownfields program and briefly reviews its current status. For regularly updated information on legislative activity, see CRS Issue Brief IB10011, Superfund Reauthorization Issues in the 106th Congress.